Words by Karley Myall
Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Hailing from the thriving music town that is Brighton is the rather enticing artist known as ELLiS·D. From beginning his musical endeavours just six months ago, he’s a fairly new dose of talent and is proving to be quite the success. The great thing about ELLiS·D is that he is not afraid to explore a variety of diverse genres, incorporating Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Psychedelia, Punk and Soul throughout his sound, offering diversity and a mixture of sounds to suit many audiences tastes.
ELLiS·D has made his name known on his home turf, as well as exploring and performing throughout London. He’s played for promoters such as Old Blue Last Presents, Bad Vibrations, Love Thy Neighbour, Acid Box and a whole load of others before supporting DITZ and U-Bahn in Manchester and Bristol in February.
With three releases currently to his name and many more to come. He’s destined to be a huge success. ‘Elastic‘ which came out last year and then most recently ‘Control‘ and ‘Puppeteering’. Elastic has a more Alternative Rock essence, the clash on the guitar strings, hard-hitting drum beats and the smooth yet high-pitched vocals. Control takes that more laid back approach, with the instrumental keeping at a steady pace as the raspy vocals begin to intertwine. Puppeteering takes on a fairly similar sound to Control, using that heavy clash on the cymbals, electrifying guitar solos and the eerie, compelling and soothing tone that ELLiS·D has to offer. The best part is that this is the first piece that he has produced, written and performed on his own.
Karley) Let’s talk this whole pandemic situation. Do you feel like it’s affected the way you produce music negatively?
Ellis D) ‘‘It certainly took a while adjusting to, but personally I’ve found it’s been a wonderful opportunity to really take a step back and reflect on the kind of music I want to be making. The pressure that comes with the live music circuit, in which you constantly feel like you need to be keeping pace with your peers, has melted away and though I don’t wish that to be the case for too much longer, I must say it’s been quite enjoyable in that respect.”
Do you feel like it’s given you more time to be able to get in a more creative headspace and make music?
”Absolutely. I went to see Brett Anderson (of Suede) in conversation last year and something he said really stuck with me – that ‘artistic expression is often simply the result of severe boredom’. Never has that felt truer than right now and it’s that kind of boredom that is motivating many of us into doing something that feels meaningful, and gives you a reason to get out of bed in the morning.”
Do you feel like the whole situation has in fact influenced your music and your lyrics?
”One thing that I have found especially challenging in this time has been writing lyrics – it can be difficult finding inspiration when the world is at a standstill as we are always observing life happening around us in order to find new material and new stories to write about – there are only so many things to observe in your living room before the river starts to run dry!”
From beginning your musical journey around 6 months ago, you’re fairly fresh on the scene. What has been your biggest achievement so far?
”I don’t really like to think about music in terms of achievements, but maybe that just means I haven’t particularly had too many of note yet! I would say simply grasping the nettle and going for it with a new project has been incredibly rewarding in itself, and having the opportunity to play shows in places like Bristol, Manchester and London so soon after starting out was a wonderful feeling (though I’ve learned a valuable lesson in not using several National Express coaches as your tour van”.
With your track Puppeteering being released last month, what has the reception been like for that track?
”I’ve had some really nice feedback on the track and the B-side ‘Control’, which has been lovely to hear. I was quite nervous about how it would go down since it’s the first track I’ve produced myself but the reception I’ve had from it has been really encouraging to say the least.”
This track is one you have produced, written and performed. How was that process for you?
”It’s been massively exciting branching out into producing as it’s something I never saw myself doing – it’s very much still a learning curve but I feel as though I’m slowly improving with every new release and trying to embrace my limitations rather than get bogged down trying to make things sound perfect. A big inspiration for me in terms of starting to produce my own records was Durand Jones & The Indications debut LP, which is a lo-fi, ragged soul masterpiece – essential listening for anyone attempting to record on a shoestring budget.”
There is so much competition within the music industry and so many diverse sounds. Do you feel like it’s been tough to be able to stand out?
”It’s a double-edged sword, but I would argue that the diversity of music today is a wonderful thing and that artists have lost that tribal animosity which drove a wedge between genres and led to certain scenes becoming sterile much faster than they would today. Standing out amongst the crowd is always going to be hard but I think that has always been the case, it’s just that the invention of social media has shone a spotlight upon it like never before. Embracing a wide variety of genres has led to some of the most incredible music ever made coming out last ten years – look at artists like Michael Kiwanuka, Tame Impala, Savages – people are breaking new ground in ways no one could have imagined thirty years ago, and anyone who tells you music has become a barren landscape is just not digging deep enough.”
With other important priorities in life, have you found it tough to be able to focus solidly on making music and developing your sound?
”Of course there are more important aspects to life but these are the motivations that drive us to create – without obstacles to overcome we’d all just be standing around in a field bored and confused.”
What is the message in your music?
”I guess the underlying theme to most of my music revolves around the idea of attempting self-awareness in an age of constant barrages of information being hurled at us from every angle. It feels inherently wrong to tune out to the world but also heart breaking trying to keep up with it, particularly when doing so via the hysterical nature of the media. There seems to be an air of catastrophe lurking round every available corner – but then perhaps that’s me being hysterical!”
You’re based in Brighton – do you feel like it has a lot to offer for upcoming artists?
”There’s certainly a thriving scene that has been in Brighton for a number of years but that’s slipped a way a little recently with the closure of some legendary venues – in particular Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar which played host to some incredible nights when I first ventured out as a gawky eighteen year old trying to pull off an over sized leather jacket. There’s still plenty to offer but it would be great to see some new proper DIY nights popping up around town – although the future is looking a bit bleak for small venues at the moment. (Special mention as well for The Pipeline, which is thankfully still going)”.
What got you into wanting to start your musical endeavours?
”It’s a bit pathetic really but when I was thirteen I had a friend at school that was similarly obsessed with Muse and we both were just in constant competition trying to prove who could play their songs better! (Looking back I doubt either of us painted ourselves in much glory). Since leaving school however I haven’t ever wanted to do anything else; and whether I’m able to build a career out of writing music or becoming the old man who religiously shows up at every Open Mic night in town I can’t see that ever changing – though hopefully I won’t still be playing Muse songs.”
What musicians influence your style of music?
”Too many to mention here but most recently I have been devouring Funk ‘n’ Soul music like a hungry seagull and it has had a huge effect on my drumming style in particular – artists of note would include Durand Jones, Isaac Hayes, Portishead, Michael Kiwanuka, Courtney Pine, Khruangbin, Curtis Mayfield + more.”
That concludes the interview, it was a fantastic experience getting to know ELLiS·D not only as a musician but as a person and being able to discuss important topics. Check out his new single ‘Puppeteering’ and be sure to keep up to date with him on all social media.
Find ELLiS·D on Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Soundcloud, YouTube and Bandcamp.